Chateau Haut-Bailly Pessac-Leognan 2010 750ml

100 points Jeb Dunnuck | Every bit as good yet in a dramatically different style, the 2010 Château Haut-Bailly has a more chiseled, focused, inward style to go with the essence of Haut-Bailly-like aromatics of sweet red and black fruit, smoked tobacco, graphite, and crushed stone, with just a hint of background minty herbs. It's full-bodied, perfectly balanced, has flawless tannins, and a rare mix of power, elegance, and purity. It blossoms with air, and while certainly mature, it has another 2-3 decades of overall longevity ahead of it.

98 Points Jane Anson | Generous, creamy, with depth and width, shot through with juicy cassis, bilberry and damson fruit, this is still so young and vibrant at 13 years old. As it opens espresso, grilled cedar, bitter orange peel and campfire smoke curl out of the glass. A stunning wine.

98 Points James Suckling | Great aromas of crushed blackberries with flowers and stones that follow through to a full body, with super silky tannins and a long, long finish. It fills your mouth with beautiful fruit and velvety tannins yet shows tension and form. This lasts for minutes on the palate. Structured and superb. Don't touch until 2020.

98 Points Wine Advocate  | Deep plum/purple, Haut-Bailly’s 2010 required some coaxing to appreciate its subtle notes of barbecue smoke, lead pencil shavings and creme de cassis as well as its touches of pomegranate and forest floor. The oak is pushed far into the background and the tannins are extremely silky, but the intensity of the wine is profound and the finish lingers for close to 55 seconds. This wine is ripe yet delicate, powerful yet stylish, and essentially resembles a remarkable fashion design from a house of haute couture. This wine needs a good 7-8 years of bottle age and should keep for 40-50+ years. 

96 points Vinous | The 2010 Haut-Bailly has an outstanding bouquet with intense blackberry, briary, crushed stone and subtle violet scents, more backwards and more precise than the previous vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and firm grip. Layers of tar and tobacco are infused with black fruit and a touch of liquorice on the finish. This is a Haut-Bailly on another level from previous vintages that will age with style. Superb. Tasted at the Haut-Bailly vertical at the château. 

95 points Decanter | The perfect Pessac-Léognan scent? Maybe: a beguiling blend of smoke, warm stones, tobacco and roasted red fruits. The palate is fine and firm, yet full and opulent, too with an echo chamber of tobacco, fruit and spice, tapering to something more earthy and sinewy at the end. Layered, rich, grand and classy. 

95 points Wine Enthusiast | A powerful and complex wine from an estate performing on its top form. Solid tannins, layers of wood and dark fruits combine to give a wine that offers both richness and a dense structure. This Haut-Bailly should age impressively and for many years. *Cellar Selection 95 points Wine Spectator

Chewy and brambly, but integrated, this carries a very hefty core of espresso, ganache, mulled plum and blackberry fruit. The purity starts to shine through on the finish, which drips with cassis and is threaded with a long warm paving stone note. Tight and backward today, this extremely well-built wine will need substantial cellaring. (JM) (3/2013)

94+ Points Int'l Wine Cellar | Good deep ruby-red. Musky aromas of black raspberry, plum, mocha, smoke, minerals, earth and sexy oak. Then penetrating, dry and classic in the mouth, with outstanding sap and grip to its powerful, savory flavors of strawberry, raspberry, smoke, dark chocolate and spices. Impeccably balanced wine with outstanding depth and extract; really spreads out horizontally to saturate the palate. Finishes with extremely fine-grained tannins and great subtlety of fruit. I look forward to watching this outstanding Haut-Bailly unwind over the next 20 years. 

Jancis Robinson 18/20 Points | A standout in the line-up. Plenty of ‘wow’ here. Deeper colour and even more depth than 2009. Intense and packed with fruit. Very cassis, even liqueur de cassis. Layers of fruit again on the palate. Powerful and large-scale for Haut-Bailly but the plentiful tannins are finely honed and everything is in balance. Cool menthol note on the finish. Clearly has the potential for long ageing.